Changes to the landscape of "public" education in the United States, particularly the proliferation of charter and other non-traditional public schools and shifting forms of school governance, have motivated some philosophers of education to reconsider the form and function of public schools in a democracy. This article is largely…

One of Amy Gutmann's important achievements in "Democratic Education" is her development of a "democratic interpretation of equal educational opportunity." This standard of equality demands that "all educable children learn enough to participate effectively in the democratic process." In other words, Gutmann demands…